Slowly but surely, the millennial generation will dominate various aspects of life. Generally, the millennial or Y generation consists of those born between 1982-1995, some say until the year 2000.

In 2025, as many as 75% of the world’s workforce will be dominated by the Y generation. At the same time, Indonesia in 2020-2030 will get demographic bonus. The total age of the labor force (15-64 years) will reach 70%, while the remaining 30% will reach unproductive age.

This means, Indonesia will have around 180 million people of productive age, while the unproductive age will be around 60 million people.

The condition can certainly be a blessing, but can also be a disaster for Indonesia. It is a blessing when Indonesian leaders are able to prepare the millennial generation well. It will be a disaster if the generation fails to be prepared because the millennial generation is said to be unruly.

Therefore, starting from the present what is called millennial leadership must be prepared.   It is leadership that cares about the future of the millennial generation. This is because the millennial generation plays an important role and becomes agents of change in the future.

If 70% of Indonesia’s population aged 30-40 years is equipped with sufficient skills and competence, then the dream of Indonesia becoming an influential country in Asia Pacific as well as a barometer of world economic growth will not be just a fantasy.

Practically, millennial leadership can run by preparing the golden generation, which means pushing the millennial generation to pursue the highest level of education as well as possible in various universities. At the same time, their leadership skills must also continue to be honed.

We are grateful for the various initiatives of the private sector in participating to prepare the millennial generation become future leaders. Tanoto Foundation, for example, annually provides scholarships to more than 300 outstanding students in various universities in Indonesia.

The scholarship support from the foundation established by Sukanto Tanoto and Tinah Bingei Tanoto is not limited to the cost of education, but also involves various training that can enhance the ability of scholarship recipients or Tanoto Scholars in leadership skills.

Every year, Tanoto Scholars Leadership Workshop and Tanoto Scholars Gathering are held, where all scholarship recipients gather in one place to build a network of friends, learn from each other, and receive various leadership trainings.

Excerpted from the writing of Ali Rif’an, Master Degree Graduate of the UI Leadership Strategic Studies, entitled “Preparing for Millennial Leadership”, Kontan Daily Newspaper, October 10, 2017.

It makes us proud to know that Indonesia is again included in the ranks of the most generous countries in the world.  In the recently released World Giving Index 2017 by Charities Aid Foundation (CAF), Indonesia ranks second.

In the sub-category of generosity in sacrificing time to help others, Indonesia ranks at the top. Indonesian people most actively dedicate time to help others. This means that the generosity of Indonesian society is also accompanied by real action of going to the field, so as to be in solidarity with and to feel what is experienced by those who need a helping hand.

The escalation of philanthropic waves in this country does bring optimism. Although there is no valid data regarding the number of philanthropic institutions operating in Indonesia, we can witness as well as feel how massive are the initiatives of these generosity movements amidst the society. Some are self-supporting, while more than few are supported by business institutions, governments, or NGOs.

Coverage of philanthropy movement is increasingly diverse. Some are engaged in the fields of education, health, economic empowerment, and disaster. The latter is the most vibrant. Of course this is not unrelated with the geographical condition of Indonesia as a disaster-prone area, which requires high solidarity to help each other.

The philanthropy movements may be seen as a lonely road in contributing to the building of the country.  It is not a business or political road that always attracts public cameras and cheers.  Philanthropy is different, because it is born from the calling of the soul and gives inner pleasure to those who walk this social movement.

At the global level, we see that even the richest person on this planet still needs a philanthropic vessel to express the freedom of the soul. Who does not know Bill Gates and his wife, Melinda Gates, the two figures that choose to focus attention in the field of health? Bill and Melinda travel around the world carrying out humanitarian missions precisely not by displaying material luxury but by putting down their piles of wealth.

In this country, we also have a treasury of philanthropic figures. In the field of education, for example, who is not familiar with Sukanto Tanoto?  Through Tanoto Foundation, a conglomerate, who has pioneered his business from the bottom, has very actively moving in  the world of scholarships in Indonesia.  For school and university students, the name “Tanoto” is probably better known as a scholarship provider than the owner of Asian Agri, PT Riau Andalan Pulp & Paper, and various businesses under the Royal Golden Eagle International group.

Tanoto Foundation, can be said as the ‘brand’ of the legendary scholarship donor.  It has been successful in producing qualified human resources.  This is evidenced by the data that shows as many as 67 percent of Tanoto Foundation scholarship recipients have careers in the top-tier companies, starting from multinational corporations, state-owned enterprises, or national private companies. It is of no wonder the Tanoto Foundation scholarships have become the target of school and university students.

Excerpted from the writing of Jusman Dalle, Executive Director of the Philanthropy NGO Tali Foundation and Practitioner of Digital Economy, published in Republika, Wednesday, October 4, 2017.

Medan, 29 September 2017 – According to the School Education Core Data of the Ministry of Education and Culture of the Republic of Indonesia, the drop-out rate in Indonesia is still quite high. In 2016, the drop-out rate in secondary education comprised 147,865 students.

One of the reasons why many students drop out is the economic factor. On the other hand, one of the targets of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for Education Field states that by 2030 each country must guarantee that every citizen has completed quality primary and secondary education.

To support improvement of access to education and to support the achievement of the targets of SDGs in education field, Tanoto Foundation as an education-focused philanthropic institution provides various scholarship programs, one of which is a Secondary School Scholarship program for students of partner SMP (Junior Secondary Schools), SMA (General Senior Secondary Schools), and SMK (Vocational Senior Secondary Schools) in Medan and Belawan, North Sumatra.

The Tanoto Foundation’s Secondary School Scholarship program has been running since 2010 and up to the present time has provided scholarships to 503 students in 20 partner schools. In the implementation, Secondary School Scholarship recipients not only receive support for education cost, but also academic counseling and mentoring to help them achieve good performance.

“The founders of Tanoto Foundation, Mr. Sukanto and Mrs. Tinah Bingei, believe that everyone has the same right to gain a better life. Only with good education will the opportunity increases for children to gain a better life in the future, “said Tanoto Foundation’s member of management, Felesia Phoa, at the signing of the Secondary School Scholarship Agreement in Medan, September 29, 2017.

“While in senior high school, Mr. Sukanto Tanoto was forced to quit school because he had to help his parents. He experienced the difficulty to get a formal education at that time. However, with the principle of hard work and the never-ending spirit of learning that he has, Mr. Sukanto could overcome the challenges that he faced and succeeded in building a world-class company, namely the Royal Golden Eagle Group. Learning from the experience of his youth, now Mr. Sukanto Tanoto provides opportunities for children, who are experiencing financial difficulties, to continue their education and reach good achievements through various scholarship programs, “added Felesia Phoa.

In addition to Secondary School Scholarship program, Tanoto Foundation also runs other scholarship programs, such as the National Champion Scholarship program which provides support to bachelor’s degree program (S1) and master’s degree program (S2) students to become Indonesia’s future leaders. The National Champion Scholarship program is working with 12 state universities in Indonesia.

There is also a Regional Champion Scholarship program for undergraduate (S1) students aimed at educating prospective leaders from rural areas who are committed to build their regions. Out of all of its scholarship programs, up to the present time, Tanoto Foundation has supported over 7,200 school and university students.